Press Release: Adam Hinds does a flip-flop on the $15 minimum wage

Adams Hinds has completely flip-flopped on the minimum wage. But rather than characterize his stances, I have taken the time to provide exact quotes taken from two different debates.

Both Adams Hinds and Andrea Harrington declined to attend a fight for $15 rally held at Park Square in Pittsfield by Manos Unidas held in the spring. Rinaldo Del Gallo was the only candidate to attend.

Rinaldo Del Gallo just before a “Fight for 15” rally at Park Square.

At a forum in Becket, on June 21st, moderator Smitty Pignatelli’s exact question was, “Do you support an immediate and across the board $15 minimum wage?” Adam Hinds response was “Yes.” The quoted material is exact quotes transcribed after reviewing the videos. Potential voters relied on these representations.

While it was never recorded, at a candidates forum held at Kennedy Hall in Pittsfield, in front of various labor unions on June 28th, Adam Hinds repeated his stance that he was for an “immediate, across the board” increase of a $15 minimum wage. Unions favor a $15 minimum wage, and Adam Hinds representations were being relied upon in formulating endorsements.

At a farmer’s luncheon on August 14th in Sheffield, one farmer looking at my handout flier did not like three of my positions or accomplishments (1) the bans on single-use plastic bags to which the farmer complained was too expensive for selling corn [I helped passed bylaws to ban single-use plastic bags in various towns in the Berkshires] , (2) giving farm animals enough room to turn around and stand-up which the farmer thought was too expensive [I was able to pass such an ordinance in Pittsfield], and (3) the $15 minimum wage, to which the farmer did not want to pay his farm hands. I did not pander or change my position to please him, and only tried to express how reasonable the positions were.

When Adam Hinds was asked about the $15 minimum wage at the Farmer’s Legislative Luncheon, (the farmer was clearly hostile to the $15 minimum wage), Adam started to seemingly include many exceptions—he actually used that phrase “many exceptions.” I asked him about what “exceptions” there were, given that he had prior said he was for an immediate, across-the-board $15 minimum wage, and his answer was muddled. My campaign manager had a similar impression—that there were a lot of exceptions.

At a candidates forum at the Mass College of Liberal Arts sponsored by the Williamstown and North Adams Democrats, held on , August 17, 2016, Tammy Daniel of Iberkshires.com asked the following question, “Who is in favor of an across the board fifteen dollar minimum wage, raise your hand?” This is the exact quote of the question.

When the question was asked by Tammy Daniel, while Andrea Harrington and I raised our hands, Adams Hinds did not raise his hand.

Adam started to explain, Adam Hinds: “Yes, but there is a lot of exceptions . . . . “ Again, “there is a lot of exceptions” is not a paraphrasing, it is an exact quotation.

Tammy Daniel of iberkshires.com interrupted Adam Hinds as he was speaking. Tammy Daniel [interrupting Adam Hinds and speaking to him]: “Yes but. . .” It’s a. . . Yes or No. . . . .You can say “eventually.” You can say “in five years.” But, who is for it? Two people [in reference to only Rinaldo Del Gallo and Andrea Harrington’s hand being raised]. . .Okay.

To all this Adam Hinds responded: Adam Hinds: “Eventually . . . .”

Make no mistake about it. On June 21st, Adam Hinds was at a forum in Becket and said “Yes” to the question “Do you support an IMMEDIATE and ACROSS THE BOARD $15 minimum wage?” He repeated this position before various labor unions in Pittsfield at Kennedy Hall roughly a week later. He then went to Farmer’s Legislative Luncheon in Sheffield and backtracked saying that his support of a$15 minimum wage had “many exceptions.” Then, when Tammy Daniel of iberkshries.com asked him, “Who is in favor of an across the board fifteen dollar minimum wage, raise your hand?,” Adam did NOT raise his hand. Rather than for being for an across the board $15 minimum wage, his exact quote at MCLA was “there is a lot of exceptions .” Rather than being for raising the minimum wage immediately, Adams exact quote was “eventually.”

When in Great Barrington, I spoke randomly to people I did not know. The most common point was that if Adam flip-flopped on the $15 minimum wage, what else is he capable of flip-flopping on?

One comment on “Press Release: Adam Hinds does a flip-flop on the $15 minimum wage”

[…] Andrea Harrington and I both favor an immediate and across the board $15 minimum wage. Adam Hinds initially supported this when at a forum in Becket, but at a forum at MCLA said he was for a $15 minimum wage “eventually” and there would be “lots of exceptions.” Andrea and I both maintain he flip-flopped. […]